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Parliament established in PKK-controlled area of KRG

2017-12-25

Amid protests in the aftermath of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)’s recent bid for independence, an area of the autonomous region effectively controlled by forces linked to the Kurdish insurgent Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is seeking to increase its own autonomy from the KRG, Kurdish-movement linked outlet Rojnews reported on Monday.

It was in this spirit that the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), an umbrella group which includes the PKK, carried out the First Qandil Democratic People’s Parliament Conference in the village of Êndizê, selecting a new parliament, joint presidents and establishing five council communes.

“We have carried out a great resistance against those people who wish to occupy these regions and take them under their own control,” Sayko Hisên of the preparatory committee told the conference.

“This is a very important step for us to be able to rule ourselves in an autonomous fashion.”

BBC journalist Abdulla Hawez, while noting that this was a “very interesting development,” tweeted “The new PKK admin will establish communes and Mala Gel (community centres) as the first step toward building a Rojava-style Ocalan-inspired system.”

“I hope that the protests in South Kurdistan (the KRG) lead to important consequences,” KCK Presidency Council member Diyar Xerîb told the conference.

“This parliament that you have established is to protect the gains of the people.”

Ongoing anti-government protests in the KRG have been fuelled by perceived government corruption, unpaid salaries and the authorities' failure to provide basic services.